


At least I'll have tangoed at all

by orphan_account



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: I'm just tired and wanted to write something since I haven't written in so long, M/M, On god? I don't know if this is good or not, Pre-Relationship, Quarantine got me all, lowkey angst i think, lowkey mutual pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:46:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24920269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Dance with me."Tony looked up. "What?""Dance with me.""I am not going to dance with you in my workshop.""Come on. As stupid as this may sound, you must dance with your heart to understand what I'm talking about… What do you have to lose?"Where Stephen makes Tony realize he was still following Steve's lead, even though the man no longer held his heart.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange, past Steve Rogers/Tony Stark - Relationship
Comments: 6
Kudos: 107





	At least I'll have tangoed at all

**Author's Note:**

> Is this a fic based on the song "Tango: Maureen" from RENT the musical? Yes this is a fic based on the song "Tango: Maureen" from RENT the musical.
> 
> I wrote this at 2 am instead of sleeping after listening to RENT again for the first time in forever. I just wanted to write something again since I'm constantly busy with schoolwork, and produced this in a few hours.
> 
> It might suck so fair warning.
> 
> Anyways I hope you enjoy.

“This is all so fucking stupid...” He mumbled, throwing a screwdriver onto a nearby counter. Stephen looked up from the cords he was untangling, staring at the brunette as he watched him hastily fixing whatever was inside the sound system, probably making a bigger mess than it already was when it was first handed to him. He sighed as he heard him begin to mutter bitterly to himself, opting to focus on the mundane activity he was doing instead of further aggravating him.

It’s been eight full months since the Avengers separated due to their different stances on the Accords.

Eight months since Steve Rogers ran away with his long lost best friend to some unknown location with the rest of the rogues in tow.

Eight months since he broke his engagement off with his teammate, Tony Stark.

No one from the remaining Avengers knew the main reason why they called it off, or what was said during their time alone in the Siberian bunker. All they knew was that Tony was found nearly dead with a heavy heart and malfunctioning suit hours later after the messy confrontation. Even after he woke up from being on the brink of death for weeks, he did not speak about what happened, eyes filled with tears as he instructed everyone to not let the story of their fallout get released to the press. That statement was only wishful thinking, seeing that it didn't take long for the tabloids and gossip channels to get a word of the unforeseen news from an anonymous source. The media, of course, went wild, claiming it was one of the biggest break-ups since Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s split in the early 2000s, and journalists flocked to the Avengers tower, hoping to get an interview with the heartbroken genius. Pepper Potts and the PR team did everything that was possible, hoping to calm the frenzy that was created, but the damage was done for and everyone was aware of what happened to the world’s most well known power couple.

It was hard for the remaining Avengers and his friends to see Tony fall into a deep depression all because of the captain and his inconsiderable actions, and even harder to know that the man they considered perfect for their friend turned his back against them.

 _“I trusted him… ”_ Pepper once told Stephen during one of his first visits to the tower, watching as she harshly clutch onto her cold cup of coffee. _“I think we all mistakenly did…”_

 _“He’s stupid for letting someone like Tony go.”_ He remembers Rhodey saying in the middle of a training session. _“But so was I for thinking he was good enough for my best friend.”_

Stephen turned away from his activity to stare at the man in front of him, smiling softly as he continued to begrudgingly fix the faulty wires inside the amplifier, unaware of the sorcerer’s eyes on him. It wasn’t a surprise that after spending so much time with the billionaire both in and out of his home, he’s developed a massive crush on him. His bright smiles and charming personality made his heart beat miles a minute, flirtatious winks making him blush madly. Especially at times like these, where his hazel eyes gleamed with determination to figure out the problem and his soft, pink tinted lips pursed with thought throughout the fiasco, it was hard to ignore the amount of butterflies that were furiously multiplying in his stomach. Wong called him a coward for wanting to suppress his feelings away, but he didn’t care. He accepted that Tony wasn’t still over Rogers and that their friendship that took off months ago would only be a friendship, and he was fine with that.

Absolutely fine.

“The sample won’t delay but the cables- There has to be another way… ” Tony beckoned Stephen to come closer, handing him the microphone on the table next to him. “Say something, anything.”

Stephen raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t bother to reply. “Test: One, two, three.” Tony scoffed, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “Anything but that. God, you’d think there would be some creativity, Doc.”

Tony continued to play with a few more wires, motioning Stephen to say something every so often before finally tossing his hands up in defeat after their eighth attempt. “That's it, I give up. I’m fighting with a stupid microphone, I’m freezing down to my bones because of how fucking cold it is and to top it all off, I’m stuck here with you because Pepper figured that I needed a babysitter today.” Stephen awkwardly stood in place, hands shaking as he gripped the microphone as tightly as he could without hurting his hands. Tony probably saw a flash of hurt in his expression because he ended up sighing in defeat, running a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, you didn't deserve to be yelled at. I don’t know why I’ve been snapping at everyone for the past few days, everything just makes me feel…” He looked frustrated, trying to find the correct words to describe his current predicament.

“Like you’re going insane? Like you’ve got an ongoing fire in your head that is pressuring you to drink a can of gasoline to make it burst into flames?”  
Tony paused his work for a moment to think about the other’s words. “As a matter of fact… You’re not that far off from what I’m feeling. How did you know? Did you deduce that just by looking at me, Sherlock Holmes?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “No, it’s because I know this act. It's the tango.”

Tony looked up at the doctor, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “The tango? As in the dance or some kind of mystic curse I don’t know about that I got from visiting your home?”

Stephen made his way to the brunette and sat next to him on the floor, crossing his legs together. “In a sense, the tango is a curse- But not one a relic or I can do on purpose." He explained, stopping Tony from interrupting him. "It’s a dark and dizzy merry-go-round, where your partner keeps you dangling as they mangle your heart, doing everything possible to keep you close to themselves no matter what. Although they continue to mistreat you, you continue to yearn for their touch ignoring every sign in front of you. In your case, Rogers is your partner in this melancholy dance.”

Tony huffed. “First off, there is no such thing as the tango in your aspect. Second, you’re wrong. Even though Steve and I are over and I no longer care for him, I still knew him better than anyone else. He would have never purposely done that.” The words _“to me.”_ lingered in the air, unspoken but heard.

Stephen turned to look at the smaller man and raised an eyebrow. "Every story I heard from members of the team said otherwise."

Those who were acquainted with Steve claimed he knew he had one of the most powerful men in the world wrapped around his finger. The warm cheek kisses and pleading, almost childlike bright eyes whenever he asks for something, the sickenly sweet smiles and lingering touches used whenever he wanted Tony to take his side… He was playing the brunette like a second hand fiddle, and the Captain surprisingly knew what he was doing.

“Tell me…” He began, after a minute of silence. “Has Rogers ever pouted his lips and called you a sickeningly sweet nickname, such as ‘sweetheart’ to get what he wanted?””

Tony laughed, shaking his head as he went back to focus on fixing the sound system once again. “Never. He wasn't one to use nicknames, absolutely hated them.”

“Then have you ever doubted a kiss or two from him during the last few months of your relationship? Often feeling as if there was something wrong?”

He froze, his once proud posture sagging in realization as he turned to stare at the doctor. "I mean… I did but with the wedding planning and our positions in the Avengers, I just thought I was getting anxious…”

Stephen nodded along, taking his words into consideration. “And did he moon over others, almost never paying attention to you whenever he talked to someone he looked interested in?"

"He did more than moon, alright…" He mumbled, not realizing he did. "Look, what’s the whole point of this, other than to make me feel nauseous?”

Stephen shrugged nonchalantly. "Just wanted you to see that you’ve been dancing Steve’s tango without knowing." He cleared his throat, and stood up from his spot, leaving the genius to think about his words for a short moment before sticking his hand out for him to take.

"Dance with me."

Tony looked up. "What?"

"Dance with me."

"I am not going to dance with you in my workshop."

"Come on. As stupid as this may sound, you must dance with your heart to understand what I'm talking about… What do you have to lose from this?"

"My dignity."

Stephen scoffed. "Please, you lost that when you started dating Star Spangled Dumbass years ago.”

“Hey!” Tony pouted, taking the outstretched hand into his own. “I actually lost it during my college years.” He placed a hand on Stephen’s shoulder as one of the doctor's hands went around his waist and the other to his unoccupied hand. “You do know how to dance, right?” He asked. Tony rolled his eyes. “Of course. I wasn’t taught how to Tango with the French Ambassador’s daughter for nothing… What about you? Do you know how to dance?”

"Christine signed me up for a dance competition with her as a joke when we were in medical school, so I kind of had to learn before then." Stephen replied, slowly moving across the floor with Tony.

“Oh my god, please tell me it was filmed.”

"Sadly, it wasn't."

"Damn, that's a shame. I would've given away my whole company to see young Stephen try to impress the bitter judges.” He snorted at that comment, shaking his head but not replying. They danced in silence for a few minutes, not speaking to one another as they glided across in a synchronized manner.

"You know, it's hard to do this backwards." Tony mumbled, almost tripping once again.

"Yeah? Well you should try it in heels sometime."

“In your dreams.”

They turned elegantly, the echoing of their footsteps being the only music they had to follow. Stephen looked at his partner's face, the fluorescent light making his eyes shine in a way that made his heartbeat grow steadily and the butterflies from before wake up once again.

Tony on the other hand, was seemingly lost in his thoughts, and began to follow Stephen with increasing violence, each step turning into a series of stops as he gripped onto the other’s arm tightly. “Oh my god, he cheated.” Tony mumbled in realization. “He cheated!”

“Who cheated?” 

“Steve! He fucking cheated! All those times he had to go to those HYDRA bases! It wasn’t for the ‘greater good’ or whatever bullshit response he threw at me before going ahead and spending most of my money to find his best friend!” He let go of Stephen, wrapping his arms around himself. “God, I feel so stupid.”

Stephen raised a hand to cup Tony’s face without thinking, rubbing his thumb across his cheek. “Look, you have to look on the bright side of this: Sure, you didn't stand a chance when he took the lead, but at least you have danced along and figured out who he truly was underneath all of his esteemed glory.”

Tony sighed, leaning into the other’s touch. “Now that I think about everything you’ve said, there was nothing good about our relationship… Why did I love it when he acted so mean to me?”

“That’s what the tango does to you.” Stephen shrugged. “Makes you question everything as soon as you step away from their lead and dance on your own.”

They stared into each other’s eyes as time passed slowly around them, the world passing by as they continued to hold onto each other. Stephen subconsciously leaned down as Tony slowly closed his eyes, waiting for the other to press his lips against his own.

But he never did.

He quickly pulled away from his thoughts, blushing profusely as he let go of the brunette. "I should- I need to go, Wong is probably wondering where I am.” Without hearing Tony’s response, he conjured up a portal and quickly stepped into it, closing it before falling onto a nearby chair in his bedroom a groan.

It seems Tony has stopped following Steve’s tango, but Stephen was just starting to follow Tony’s lead.


End file.
